Let Your Novel Simmer and Marinate with Scrivener

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Now that we’re closing in on the final stretch of November, you may be wondering what to do with your novel after the month is over. Today, Scrivener, a NaNoWriMo sponsor, has some tips for post-NaNo noveling:

Completing the first draft of a novel in one month isn’t work for the faint of heart. Showing up every day to write, muddling through the middle, making your hero or heroine suffer, or just wondering where this little adventure will eventually lead takes perseverance, guts, and a touch of madness.

Now that you’ve reached (or nearly reached) the fifty thousand word mark, you’ve probably decided that you’re ready for the next step: revising your story. But hold on there, bucko, not quite yet. If you want maintain a firm grip on your sanity, please heed this advice: let it simmer and marinate for a month.

Below are tips on how I’ve lassoed the editing process and how I used Scrivener to revise, restructure, and rewrite my NaNoWriMo first draft in five easy steps:

Step one: Give it a rest. 

By this I mean put it away. Come December 1st, tuck your novel into a virtual drawer. Don’t open it. Don’t attempt to reread or edit the copy. December is crazy enough with end-of-year projects, tying loose ends, the holidays, socializing, and whatnot. Your novel isn’t going anywhere, so take a break. But what about losing that writing momentum? Don’t worry about it. Let the story-telling part of your brain recharge. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.

Step two: Re-read your story.

On January 1st, if you wrote your first draft in Scrivener, open your manuscript. Next, select the draft/manuscript folder that contains all your scenes and go to View—>Scrivenings. This is a robust feature that allows you to view sections of your text either in isolation or as part of the larger work. Now read your story all the way through. Easy now, put down that letter opener and take a deep breath. Remember, first drafts are rarely perfect.

Step three: Write scene synopses.

Get out of Scrivenings mode, and reread each scene. Open the Inspector and click on the tab that looks like a notepad. You’ll see on the top pane “Synopsis" and below “Notes”. In Synopsis, summarize the scene in twenty words. Reread the scene; start taking notes on anything that jumps out at you—the good the bad, and the ugly. Do this with every single scene.

Step four: Snapshot your scene.

You’ve reached the point when it’s time to delete and revise: but before you begin with the bloodletting, click on the camera icon found in the Inspector, and take a snapshot of the entire scene. Using this feature saves your original text and allows you to go back to it or even restore it. To read more of how snapshots work, please visit this very detailed blog post.

Step five: Kill those darlings. 

Move paragraphs around. Reconsider different names. Highlight text. Reword sentences. Use stronger verbs. Consider using the Comments feature in the editor and make more notes. Also use Scrivener’s revision mode by going to Format—>Revision Mode. Click on the colored menu command you wish to use for your edits. As you type in new text, it will be automatically colored. Want to strike-through a section? Simply select the word or text you want to cross out by going to Format—>Strikethrough.

Once you’re satisfied with your edits, it’s time to compile the draft as a proof copy so your beta readers can read the entire manuscript and provide feedback. Scrivener has a robust compiling feature that allows you to choose a number of  built-in formats including the common industry standard for submitting to agents as well as others that are designed for ebooks. To learn how to compile, Literature and Latte has created four videos that guide you step-by-step through the process.  These instructional videos can be found on the website under the section “Getting Your Work Out”.

Last Words

Keep learning about your craft. There are a number of blogs like Writer Unboxed that address editing and revisions; books such as Elizabeth Lyon’s Manuscript Makeover or Sandra Scofield’s The last Draft: A Novelist’s Guide to Revision and Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel that will help you during this process. Finally, keep your expectations in check. Completing a first draft in one month is extraordinary, but having a ready-to-publish manuscript takes even more time, perseverance, guts, and a touch or madness…

Rebeca Schiller is a freelance writer who also blogs for Literature and Latte. She is currently working on a novel about the Spanish Civil War and the blacklist.

Top photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash.